


A Scandal in Bohemia

by Altamont (a1tam0nt)



Series: Dai Gyakuten Meitantei/The Great Ace Detective [4]
Category: Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle, 大逆転裁判 | Dai Gyakuten Saiban
Genre: Blackmail, Case Fic, DGS 1 and 2 spoilers, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, Investigations, Legendary Aibous, Mystery, Period Typical Attitudes, Period Typical Bigotry, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Racism, Period-Typical Sexism, Pre-Series, Serious Deductions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-02-15 18:03:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18674737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a1tam0nt/pseuds/Altamont
Summary: "To Sherlock Holmes, she has always been THE woman..."Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismund Von Ormstein - better known as the King of Bohemia - approaches Yuujin and Holmes with a case involving rather compromising photographs.





	1. Joseph Bell's Chapter of Logic and Deduction

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't write a DGS-ified version of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes without failing to mention this case, which is perhaps one of Holmes's most famous cases now, could I?

"Mikotoba! There you are!" cried Sherlock Holmes as Yuujin Mikotoba entered the laboratory he always commandeered when he wished to conduct an experiment or thirty-seven.

"I received your message, Holmes. And you said it was...'urgent', like you always do. I think I've wasted my breath again by running down the corridor. Why do you mark all your messages as 'urgent', 'very important' and 'life or death matter'?"

"It helps you get here quicker."

"Right. And what is it I'm needed urgently for?"

"I received a letter this morning after you went to work, and I figured that you might be interested in accompanying me on the case. Especially as you did such an excellent job in writing down that case involving that Australian man and Boscombe Valley," said Holmes with a smile and a shrug.

"It was actually an American detective and Vermissa Valley," corrected Yuujin. "No matter, it's in my trunk at home, you can remind yourself about the case later. Anyway – the letter I received this morning was quite interesting. Here, you might want to read it aloud."

He handed Yuujin a note - one left unsigned and unaddressed - written on a sheet of champagne-coloured notepaper with a watermarked _**KM**_ ** _Gt_**.

Yuujin read it aloud:

> "There will be visiting tonight, at a quarter to eight o'clock, a gentleman who will wishes you to consult upon a matter of the deepest importance. I believe that you will be providing me the greatest confidentiality [you'll forget it ten minutes after he's gone, that's how great] as this matter is of the serious importance. Ensure you are being in your rooms at that time. He will be wearing of a mask."

"Well, Mikotoba? What do you think of the matter?"

Yuujin looked at the paper's back and then the front again. "I don't know what exactly to make of it. However, I do know a man who might."

* * *

Yuujin knocked at the door while Holmes read the plaque on it.

" **DR. J. BELL.** "

"Come in!" called a voice from inside.

Holmes and Yuujin entered into the small office. A warm fire burned in the chimney, and several books had been spread out across the desk. Dr. Joseph Bell, a tall, elderly man with combed grey hair and high cheekbones, sat and scribbled into a notebook, occasionally referring to a book underneath a rather powerful magnifying glass.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Mikotoba. I trust you are well. And this must be the Mr. Sherlock Holmes you share lodgings with, needs to sharpen his razor and plays the violin. You also have a letter which you have all intent of showing me in-order to deduce its meaning."

"I say, Dr. Bell! How did you figure out all that? Don't speak, I already know how. It's time for,  **SHERLOCK HOLMES'S THEATRE OF LOGIC AND DEDUC** —"

Dr. Bell snapped his fingers and stood over the desk: "One, Mikotoba speaks of you frequently and I often see him working on documenting your case documents in his pocketbook when he has the occasion to do so on his afternoon break. He rarely interacts with others outside of one Seishiro Jigoku, Genshin Asougi, Dr. Watson, Inspector Gregson and Inspector Leslie Bradstreet. As I know what they all look like from having to provide medical evidence to court on occasion, I can deduce that you are Holmes. You share rooms with him and aren't just friends because Watson often comes in smelling of a distinct smell of tobacco mixed with caramel, one that can clearly be gleaned from your jacket, which also has a name-tag sewn into the seam to prove its owner because you are forgetful and prone to loss;

"Two, your razor needs sharpening. The facial hair that you think you managed to catch in the mirror this morning is shorter on your left-hand side more so than your right. You also bare a slight cut you haven't noticed, small enough to have been caused by a razor blade, a particularly dull one at that, which may prove to be a metaphor for something. Going by the skin visible on your hands from under your gloves, you have marked them before from working with acids and poisons, so I suggest you take precautions.

"Three, your chin is slightly red on your left-hand side from where the violin has been pressed against it. There is also a slight brown stain on your fingers, not from the handling of tobacco but from where the rosin has been applied by yourself, without the use of any sort of paper. Quite possibly because you lost it.

"Four, you're holding the paper in your hand and I could hear Holmes talking rather loudly from down the corridor. Thus, the facts of the case."

Holmes's mouth remained open as he waited for the opportunity to finish his sentence but decided against it. Yuujin felt sorry for the man, and had been waiting to perform his usual tap-dancing steps.

"Well that was boring!" said Holmes. "Anyway, can you take a look, Dr. Bell?"

"Fine," said Bell, taking the letter from Yuujin and examining it.

"Yes, I have read about such a particular company brand before. Kamé-Brandt Gesellschaft. A Swiss paper company. Very high-brand. Imported from Switzerland by a German-speaking fellow from Prague, if this letter's clumsy phrasing is anything to go by."

"And where is 'Prague' again?" asked Yuujin.

"Stop me when I get to the right answer, Dr. Bell. United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama..."

"Bohemia," said Bell outright.

"Will you let me do  _something_ involving logic and deductions?!" asked Holmes angrily.

"So you can expect at around eight o'clock tonight, a German...man, noble upbringing, has problems with English, and nerve issues. Now then, Dr. Mikotoba, Mr. Holmes, I'll wish you a good afternoon and let you get onto treating the gentleman with a particularly harsh rash on his face. A prescription of chamomile wouldn't go amiss, by the way..."

 

 


	2. Ze Count Von Boswell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holmes and Mikotoba attempt to deduce the identity of their mysterious client, who may be more than meets the eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> N.B: German accent is written semi-phonetically.

**That evening...**

Yuujin closed the cover on his book when he heard the sound of a horse and carriage trotting and rumbling its way up Baker Street, eying the carriage as it went.

"A brougham carriage," said Holmes with a whistle. "Not often you see those around. The one we usually get is a hansom, Mikotoba."

"Yes, and I think I'd rather the brougham. Especially with all the wind, the rain and my fish and chips ending up spectacularly soggy."

"Just like they were fresh from the harbour!"

"Yes, but I believe fish is supposed to be somewhat dry when cooked. And I say that as someone who often cooked shrimp teriyaki for his wife," said Yuujin. "And it was rather good, even if I did say so myself.

"I thought Terry Yaki was a Japanese fellow you knew or something. I did think it was a bit of an odd name for a Japanese fellow."

"Says the man called 'Sherlock'. Anyway, here he comes."

Footsteps moved heavily across the landing, with Yuujin wondering if each of the seventeen steps (counted one day when he was particularly bored) would give way under such heavy footfalls. There was a loud and authoritative tap at the door, which looked to be nearly enough to remove the door from its hinges again.

"Enter!" called Holmes.

A man entered into 221B who towered over Holmes, who was already six foot himself, almost dwarving Yuujin. His limbs were as thick as tree trunks, and looked as though they could be used to bend the fire poker into a knot. His outfit, buried under a thick coat as dark as night and furry as a leopard, was a deep purple, embroidered with gold thread. His cloak was of scarlet red, and fastened with a golden brooch. On one of his fingers was a gold ring, with a diamond on it almost as big as Yuujin's fist.

Across the top of his furry, bearded head, he wore a black mask over his eyes, as though he'd purchased a pair of silk stockings and cut two eye-holes from it.

"I vould see zat yeu heve received my message," he said, speaking in a German accent as thick as glue. "I heve alveady told yeu I vould call."

"Do take a seat," said Holmes. "I'd say for you to pop up your feet, but I'd prefer you didn't kick out the windows. This is my friend and partner, Dr. Yuujin Mikotoba. Now, who am I speaking to?"

 _Holmes_ , thought Yuujin.  _This is a real conversation. Not a conversation on the telephone._

"Yeu may addvess me as ze Count von Bosvell," he said as he sat down, chair creaking and groaning under his weight. "I em a nobleman from ze Kingdom of Bohemia. As I have written to Mr. Holmes, I should zerefore prefeur zat Doktor Mikotoba please leave ze rhoom."

Yuujin moved to leave, but Holmes caught him by the wrist before he could.

"It's both Dr. Mikotoba and I or neither Mikotoba and I. You can tell him anything you'd tell me."

"Zen I must begin," said the count, with a shrug of his tremendously large shoulders. "First of all, I must bind you both to secrecy of ze most absolute for ze next two years, effectif immediately. After zat, it is of no importance if you go to ze Trafalgarr Sqvare and shout it from ze Nelson's Column."

"I think that sounds perfectly fair," said Holmes with a smile and a shrug. "After all, I'll probably have forgotten it by the time you've left the room anyway."

"Zat is precisely vhat I am the asking for."

"I agree as well," said Yuujin, making a mental note to go down to Cox & Co. at Hatton Garden about a safety deposit box first thing on Monday morning.

"You vill also excuse ze mask. Ze person who is under my—I mean, who has me under ze employment of zem vishes zis case to be ze mohst discreet. Ze name I heve also told you, it is also not the name of my own."

"Well that much is obvious," said Yuujin. "Why I believe I remember reading in yesterday's copy of  _The Evening Standard_ that the Lord von Boswell was speaking in parliament yesterday about some ongoing political situation in Australia."

"So an alias then, eh?" said Holmes. "Can't say I've heard a worse one, not after last week's case which involved a Mr. Richard Head, who insisted I called him 'Di—'"

Yuujin hit Holmes a subtle kick in the leg. "Holmes, now is not the best time to mention that case, not with a high-power client as this..."

"—Regardless," said Sherlock Holmes, pacing the living room, "I have reason to believe that I know your true identity. And I will expose it now!"

"Holmes..."

"In the one..."

"Holmes, I—"

"...The only..."

"Holmes—"

" **SHERLOCK HOLMES'S THEATRE OF LOGIC AND DEDUCTION!** "

Holmes spun on the carpet and pointed at the count. "Your Excellency, Count von Boswell," he said, "the facts about your true identity appear rather clear to me..."

"Mr. Holmes,  _was für eine frische Hölle ist das?_ " cried the count.

"I observe the small brooch on your cape, which points to your true identity," said Holmes.

The count nearly leapt backwards and back down the stairs again. " _Ach!_ " he cried, his eyes glancing towards Yuujin's desk on the other side of the flat.

"Ah, I see that you must already know that the jig, Herr Boswell, is up! For you see, I gave Mikotoba here the lend of a book recently. Particularly, a book on the different signs and symbols of the world. And one particular symbol features on your brooch, which is..." He grabbed the green leather-bound book from Yuujin's table, sending several papers flying onto the floor. He quickly flicked through the book before finding the page that he had been referring to.

"Eureka! Here we are,  _prosecuting attorney's badge_ —you are a barrister, are you not?"

" _Nein!_ Zat is incorr—"

"And the initials engraved underneath, a very distinctive ' **G.R**.' And I am aware of one prosecuting attorney who uses those initials. A prosecuting attorney who then went on to become the Lord Chief Justice of the United Kingdom and Minister for Justice –  **Lord Godfrey Norton** **!** You didn't use your real name, because you figured that this case would bring a Scandal in Belgravia. Thus, was Sherlock Holmes's great deduction!"

"Holmes," said Yuujin. "That's clearly not who this man's true identity is. For you see, I believe the count was perhaps looking to a different book."

The count's eyes glanced towards Yuujin's desk again.

"The count was looking toward..." said Yuujin, tapping his feet rhythmically off the floor (a bad habit by this stage). "This book!"

He pointed toward a red leather-bound book. Holmes quickly pulled on his magnification goggles and read the title. " **Royal Families of the World** ".

"Yes, I borrowed it from the library the other day because...well..." Yuujin blushed "...I'm quite the fan of the Japanese royal family and getting newspapers imported costs a fortune. A-Anyway, I thought I recognised that brooch."

He flicked through the pages until he came across the one he was looking for. "Aha! There we are. It is a brooch bearing the symbol commonly used by the ruling family of Bohemia, Von...something..."

"Von Ormstein?"

"Yes. Them," said Yuujin. "And the initials  **G.R** stand for..."

" **Gottsreich** ," read Holmes.

"Thank you, Holmes. We Japanese men aren't meant to be able to pronounce German words. Regardless, it means 'by god's right', a symbol associated with...the King of Bohemia, one... **Wi-ru-he-ru-mu...** look, it's him, alright?" said Yuujin, jabbing a finger at the name on the page.

" **Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismund von Ormstein the Second!** " cried Holmes, as both he and Yuujin pointed, before bowing. "...Your majesty."

The 'count' made a fist as the room seemed to shake around him, his face turning a shade of purple and a vein pulsing in his forehead. "Ach...Ach...Ach!!" he muttered.

He fell backwards and onto the floor, screaming: " **ACH DU LIEBE ZEEIIIIITTT!!!** " He landed with a thud that shook the room.

After a second, he stood back up and straightened his clothing. His mask now askew, he tore it off in one quick motion of his hand. "You are right, Herr Doktor. I am ze King of Bohemia! Vhy on earth should I have attempted to hide zat fact in ze first place. I am ze king, His Most Royal Majesty Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismund von Ormstein the Second, Grand Duke of Cassel-Felstein, born of the house Habsburg-Lorraine!"

When he got around to writing up that case, Yuujin made a note to change the name to something easier to spell. Perhaps _Jugemu Jugemu Go-Kō-no-Surikire Kaijari-suigyo no Suigyō-matsu Unrai-matsu Fūrai-matsu Kū-Neru Tokoro ni Sumu Tokoro Yaburakōji no Burakōji Paipo Paipo Paipo no Shūringan Shūringan no Gūrindai Gūrindai no Ponpokopii no Ponpokonā no Chōkyūmei no Chōsuke_ would work...?


	3. A Case from the King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The King explains why he wants to hire Holmes and Mikotoba to stop Irene Adler before a Scandal breaks out In Bohemia, and presents the legendary duo a pleasant surprise.

"I must be apologising to you gentlemen," said the king, "I do not always engage in such a business on my own behalf. Why, I even had to buy my own groceries on the way!  _Und_ ze milk seller had ze nerve to recoil at me when I offered to buy a bottle with a cheque for a hundred pounds! It is milk! It is usually only five and seventy pounds, isn't it? I am digressing, I know."

"So what exactly do you want to hire me for, Your Majesty?" asked Holmes, moving his hands in the way that Yuujin understood to mean 'Get to the point, please'.

"Five years ago, I was on a diplomatic journey to Warsaw in Prussia which took me to the opera. It was there that I was introduced to Fraulein Irene Adler, ze most famous of adventuresses. I vould assume you know the name?"

"Nope," replied Holmes. "Mikotoba?"

"I haven't any idea of her name either. Hang on..."

Yuujin quickly went to the bookshelf and removed a red-backed volume entitled _**Who's Who - 1885**_ and flicked through the sections quickly and placing his finger on the article he was looking for.

"Let's see...Irene Adler, born in New Jersey, 1855, Contralto, La Scala, Prima Donna in Warsaw - like you said, your majesty - currently retired from the stage and living in London - how convenient!"

"Yes, that is her. I wrote her some rahzer... _compromising_ letters in my youth," said the king, tapping the side of his nose. "I think I should perhaps get them back, ja?"

"I don't think those letters should be a problem, your majesty. Unless, of course, you've had a secret marriage?"

"Nein!"

"An affair?" said Yuujin, cracking his knuckles.

"Nein!"

"Any form of legal paper, will, testament or certificate?"

"Nein!"

"A ten meter swimming certificate where they called you 'Sherringford Hope' by mistake and now you really hate your old swimming instructor because you and Sherringford Hope never even looked alike?"

"Nein, nein, nein!"

"Well then I'm afraid I fail to follow this case, your majesty," said Holmes, putting his pipe in his mouth. "I mean, how could you prove that she's looking to blackmail you anyway?"

"Well what about the handwriting?"

"Easily imitated! I've forged Dr. Mikotoba's handwriting often enough..."

"Holmes!"

"My own private notepaper?"

"Forged again. I've also forged Dr. Watson's notepaper enough."

"Holmes, really now..."

"My own seal?"

"Forged again! Although I haven't quite figured out how to forge them yet..."

"My own photograph?"

"Cut out from a newspaper and pasted in? Goodness knows I've done that one before. Managed to fool my friend Arthur about some fairies, which is a funny story actually—"

"—The photograph had  _both_ of us in it, Herr Holmes."

"...Oh." The pipe dropped from out of Holmes's mouth. "In that case, you may very well be seriously compromised and could effectively be in the palm of her hand and have more political power than my brother and the Queen combined. Still though, not very embarrassing though, is it?"

"We were both...khem...naked in the photographs..."

"This case keeps exceeding my expectations. Have you tried asking nicely?"

"Yes, and she said no. After that, I have asked my own secret police to make attempts at retrieving the photographs when she wouldn't even sell. This included trying to divert her luggage from a recent trip to Russia via Italy and attempted to burgle her house on seventeen different occasions. Not once did it appear! Oh!" cried the king, drawing out an embroidered handkerchief. "This is going to ruin me, isn't it, isn't it Herr Holmes, Doktor Mikotoba..."

It was then he burst into tears, sobbing:

" **Béééééééééééé! **Béééééééééééé!** Béééééééééééé!**"

"Oh...there, there, your majesty?" said Yuujin, patting his hand gently on the back of the king's back. It felt rather like treating a lion like a kitten.

"I am to be married within the next few months! My future wife only wishes to be married to the very model of human decency! Oh, Princess Clotilde Lothman von Saxe-Meningen, second daughter of the King of Scandinavia, please don't leave meeee!"

 _Honestly_ _,_ thought Yuujin,  _Why must European names be so hard to pronounce? Why not something simple that looks the exact same way it's said and doesn't consist of the entire alphabet?_

"Don't worry, we'll get it back before Ms. Adler sends it onto...whatever-her-name-is, point being, we'll get it back. You'll be in London for the next while, I assume?"

"Ja, I am staying at an indiscreet location. Ze penthouse suite at Ze Savoy, booked in under ze Count von Kramm."

"Very...indiscreet, yes..." said Holmes, rubbing his hands. "Now, how's about expenses?"

"Carte blanche. If you must bankrupt The Treasury itself, then do so. I will even give you a province of my kingdom if nescessary."

"And for...er... _present_ expenses?"

The king produced a large leather bag out from under his coat and laid it on the table, causing it to creak and groan under its weight. "In zat back you vill find three thousand pounds in gold bullion, and seven thousand in serialised banknotes."

Yuujin bit his lip as Holmes wrote a receipt for the payment.

"Miss Adler is currently residing at Briony Lodge, Serpentine Avenue, St. John's Wood according to our military intelligence."

"Very good. Well then, we'll be in contact, your majesty. Thank you very much. Bye bye now, have a safe journey..."

The king closed the door behind him, and Holmes and Yuujin leapt for joy.

"Chikusou!" Yuujin cried. "Ten thousand pounds!!!"

"We're rich, Mikotoba, we're rich! We can dine at Criterion Bar every night for the rest of our lives! We can  _buy the bar outright!_ Oh, how I've always wondered what caviar tastes like..."

"And I could buy twelve mansions back home! Cosney Megundal, eat your heart out! Still though..." Yuujin stopped jumping for a moment and straightened his tie again. "We must investigate the case first, shouldn't we? After all, we'll get more money for solving the case."

"Oh, yes, of course," said Holmes. "Still though, I'm sure that your daughter would appreciate the money."

"Yes, when she's older. She can get a good education and have a good start to her adult life, and I'm sure it'll keep her rather comfortable too. Now if you'll excuse me, Holmes, I'm going to write up another medical report for Dr. Watson. I wonder if I gave the hospital a sizable donation, would they name a wing after me? 'The Dr. Yuujin Mikotoba Wing' sounds particularly nice..."

 


	4. Spend it, invest it, save it, do whatever we wish with it!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holmes devises a plan while he and Mikotoba finally decide what they're going to do with their shares of the king's money.

Yuujin woke up the following morning and headed downstairs, pen and paper in-hand and ready to draw up a list of ideas to spend and save on their newfound incoming fortune. When he got downstairs, however, he discovered via Mrs. Hudson that Holmes had gotten up stupidly early and headed out for whatever reason.

After breakfast and getting properly washed and dressed, Yuujin paced the room impatiently, waiting on Holmes's return. "Dr. Mikotoba," he'd say, or something rather like that "I've spent all the money already! The sweet shop was having a sale and I bought some magic beans from a street seller on the way here! Ahahahaha!"

The time grew later and later into the morning. Eventually, he had to gather his things together and head off to St. Bartholomew's—his good mood ruined by remembering the fact that Dr. Watson had asked him to assist in performing a cataract operation today. Lovely...!

* * *

Yuujin returned home that evening, with the tell-tale smog of tobacco smoke signalling that Holmes had, indeed returned. That, or as Inspector Jones always joked, Baker Street had elected a new pope.

It wasn't a surprise after seeing before how much tobacco Holmes could get through in one go—although the first occasion had resulted in a fire engine racing down Baker Street and Holmes himself wearing the contents of Yuujin's pre-used wash basin.

"There you are, Holmes!" Yuujin coughed as he took off his hat and coat and left his black bag down again. "Where on earth have you been?"

"I tracked down Ms. Adler's address and decided to do a little bit of practical sleuth work, Mikotoba," replied Holmes after blowing a few smoke rings, which vanished into the blue smog of the room the same way a drop of water vanishes into an ocean.

"Well did you find out anything interesting?"

"I did, oddly enough. I stood outside her 'Homestuck', or whatever it is the Americans call it, and listened in thanks to this!" He snapped his fingers and pointed towards a machine that he'd left sitting on the dining room table.

To Yuujin, it looked as though Holmes had taken a metal cup and stuck it onto the firing-end of his pistol, before sticking a small antennae to the inside of the cup and attaching a telephone operator's headset with a wire.

"What in Buddha's name is that?"

"That, Mikotoba, is my newest invention - a long-distance microphone! It can listen in on, and even record, voices and sounds at long distances! I made it after I wondered to myself if the empty house on the opposite side of the road was really haunted or not as Wiggins says. Turns out it isn't, but I won't look at Hatch Windibank or Mrs. Hudson in the same way ever again. Especially with what they were doing to each-other..."

Yuujin winced at the thought.

"Anyway," continued Holmes, "I had a good, long listen in on what was being said and it appears that there's going to be a wedding tomorrow!"

"A wedding?"

"Yes, a wedding! It's when two people who love each-other very much decide—"

"Holmes, I'm a married man. I know first-hand what a wedding is."

"Oh yes. Well, anyway, Ms. Adler is getting married tomorrow afternoon. We should be able to search her house for the photographs then. Easiest money anybody's ever made!"

"Yes, well, I know exactly what I intend to do with my share of the money. Today I thought long and hard about new dedicated tap-shoes and fine dining, but I decided I'm going to wire it home to Japan and get my mother to put it in a savings account for my daughter."

"Ah yes, you mentioned you had a daughter. Tomato, her name was, wasn't it?"

Yuujin said: " _Susato_ , actually. Still, I don't want her growing up and thinking I don't care about her or that her father thinks of her like an afterthought. I want her to have everything good in life that she deserves, and that she can do what she wishes when she gets older."

"Very generous of you to do that, Mikotoba!" commended Holmes. "Meanwhile I had my eye on a brand new golden magnifying glass..."

"In that case, remind me to never trust you to make any important financial decision for either of us. Ever."

"That's fair," Holmes shrugged.

"Though I must say, Holmes, I'm not sure how I feel about breaking and entering into somebody's house when they're not there—especially on their wedding day. And besides, what happens if we get caught?"

"We'll be fine, Mikotoba! We'll get the photographs quickly and be straight in and straight out again before you have the time to say 'Wilhelm Gottsreich—'"

"Please, Holmes, can we call His Majesty something simpler?"

"Alright, we'll be in and out before you can say...'Dick'! We'll be able to give Dick his photographs, get our money, then spend it, invest it, save it, do whatever we wish with it!"

"That sounds fair. His Majesty, King Dick, will be very happy indeed. Maybe he might be able to give us a bonus..."

 


	5. The One Where Holmes and Mikotoba Accidentally Go To A Wedding

Under Holmes's advice, Yuujin made sure that he cleaned and loaded his revolver. It would be a good idea to be ready for any sort of eventuality that may end up presenting itself—even if this included having to deal with armed thugs or having to make a break for it from an over-zealous constable.

Holmes and Mikotoba stood on the street corner opposite Briony Lodge.

"Alright then, Mikotoba," Holmes said in a whisper. "What we're going to do now is stand here on the street and wait for Ms. Adler and Mr. Whoever-She's-Marrying-I-Didn't-Quite-Catch-A-Name to head off to go and get married. While we wait, just act natural - like you normally would."

"Well I don't normally stand around trying to look non-conspicuous on street corners anyway, but I suppose I could give it a try..." Yuujin cleared his throat, adjusted his hat and leaned on the wall. "Why good morning, sir. I do believe that it is rather cold for this time of year, is it not?"  _(Japanese to English phrasebook, don't fail me now!_ _)_

"Oh yes, but my crocuses appear to be promising!" said Holmes, who was now reading a copy of  _The Evening Standard_ which, by the looks of things, had been printed three years ago. How or why Holmes had a newspaper that old was a mystery.

"Yes, and the, er...forecast shows that it will be well for the...what's the English word again... _kiku_...chrysanthemums!"

"Which are particularly enjoyed by my chrysanthe-dad!" laughed Holmes loudly. He then pointed and said: "Movement! Act natural!"

Holmes leaned against the wall and started to read through the newspaper as the front door swung open with a creak. Thinking quickly, Yuujin placed his hat upside down on the pavement and started to dance, the sound of his shoes knocking against the pavement.

A rather hurried-looking groom in a top hat and tails emerged and shouted over to the unlikely pair: "Hey! You two!"

The pair looked up, giving him the " _who, us?_ " look in-response.

"How would you like to be paid very well for rather urgent work?"

"Well that depends," said Holmes, already adding to his mental shopping list, "What's the work?"

"Witnesses to a wedding! Come, quickly! There's no time to be lost!"

Before either of them had the chance to look around them or offer any form of response, the two found themselves being dragged by the arms into a carriage that had only just pulled up, stuffing the two in and leading Holmes to knock his head off of the roof of the carriage with an "Ow!"

"Come on, driver, drive! Don't spare the horses! Quickly, quickly, quickly! Or it won't be legal!"

With a sharp crack of the whip, the carriage went racing down the road as though a hell-hound were in hot pursuit. Yuujin felt as though he would make his breakfast reappear again on the floor if the carriage ended up going any faster.

In less than twenty minutes' worth of navigating through the streets of London and the groom shouting numerous obscenities at pedestrians that were in the way, they arrived at the Church of St. Margaret.

The church, Yuujin noticed while being half-dragged to the altar, was surprisingly empty for a church in the centre of London and a stone's throw away from the Palace of Westminster. Outside of himself, Holmes and the groom, there was only a particularly elderly-looking clergyman and a woman in a white dress with a veil over her face—presumably, Miss Irene Adler.

A pair of rings were thrust into the partners' hands, and they were forced to murmur the appropriate responses when prompted; vouching for things that neither one had any knowledge of and then having to sign the certificate with a quick squiggle.

Both bride and groom thanked Holmes and Yuujin on the way out, both being given a guinea each for their services as emergency witnesses to an incredibly informal wedding. Yuujin had not experienced such a thing since standing witness to the marriage of Genshin Asougi to his wife, Miyu (whose own family objected marrying into the Asougi family due to a long-standing family rivalry).

The two went home laughing, *promising to wear the coins on their watch-chains in memory of such a strange occurrence and continuing to talk of it late into the night. "The king can wait, Mikotoba!" Holmes cried. "There's always tomorrow!"

Little did either one know what tomorrow would bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *AUTHOR'S NOTE: It is believed that the watch-chain of Prof. Yuujin Mikotoba bore the coin throughout his entire life and remains to this day visible on his watch-chain in a museum exhibit detailing the life and work of Sherlock Holmes, Yuujin Mikotoba and Dr. Iris H. Watson-Baskerville, kindly donated by the descendants of Dr. Mikotoba, the Kobayashi clan.


	6. The Women

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holmes and Mikotoba walk in, accompanied by the King of Bohemia, and ask Miss Adler for the photograph, with surprising results. It doesn't look like Miss Irene Adler will hang over the king's photograph without a fight.

Early the following morning, the bell rang and was accompanied by a thunderous knock on the door that sounded like it was about to break down the door. Particularly early for visitors, wasn't it?

The maid, a young lady with brown hair in braids either side of her head, opened the door. "Good morning, sirs. How can I help you?"

"I need to speak to Miss Adler, urgently."

"And who will I say is calling, sir?"

"Ze King of Bohemia," boomed the man stood behind Holmes and Yuujin. "I demand at  ** _vunce_** zat you let me in."

Before Holmes or Yuujin could say anything otherwise, he barged through the two of them, past the maid and into the house of Miss Irene Adler. The house was certainly well-decorated, Yuujin thought to himself. If he couldn't convince Miss Adler to hand over the photograph, he could at least try to convince her to give him some tips on interior design.

Holmes, trying to maintain some credit for the case, followed closely behind the king who marched into the living room as though he owned it. "Miss Adler!" he said. "I demand zat you hand over my photograph at once!"

Miss Irene Adler was sat at the breakfast table with a plate of toast and a pot of coffee sitting on it. "I beg your pardon?"

Yuujin recognised it as the way that Jefferson Hope spoke.  _Ah beg yor pahrdohn?_

"We—" said Holmes before catching a glimpse at Miss Adler. Yuujin would have certainly described her as a handsome woman. Even at this time of the morning, she was remarkably well-dressed, and not a hair under her hat appeared to be out of place.

He looked at Holmes, who still hadn't finished the first word of his sentence and seemed to be turning redder by the second.

"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..."

Yuujin could practically see the hearts in his eyes.

"Why Tabitha, who are these people? And why are they visitin' me at this time of the mornin'?"

"A-Apologies, Miss Norton," said the maid. "They just barged right on in without saying anything."

"You know precisely who I am, Miss Adler! I am Wilhem Gottsreich Sigismund von Ormstein, Duke of the castle Ormstein and the King of Bohemia! I believe you own something of mine that I would like back,  _bitte_."

"Oh yes. Wilhem. I remember now. And who on earth are these two imbeciles with you?"

"This is Mr. Sherlock Holmes, a detective, and his assistant, Dr. Mickey Toba."

" _Mikotoba. Yuujin Mikotoba_ ," replied Yuujin, putting Holmes's jaw back into place before he started to drool all over Miss Adler's carpet. "You may recognise us from your wedding, yesterday. I believe we were asked to sign as witnesses by your husband?"

"Ah yes. I do remember now. But then again, I have eyes for nobody but my dear Godfrey. And I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about,  _little boy_." She seemed to spit venom back at the king as she said those words. Yuujin wondered what exactly about the king was "little", but realised after a moment's thought. Generations of inbreeding could do that, he supposed.

"Do not lie to me, Miss Adler!" said the king, raising a fist. Yuujin could see Miss Adler flinch slightly. "Present ze photograph at once! I vill personally tear apart this room if I must in-order to find ze photographs!"

"Oh, that again, Wilhelm? Really, you do need to learn to move on..." said Irene Adler as she elegantly sipped her coffee. She stood up and drew a parasol with a rather sharp spike on the end of it, pointing in the direction of the king. "...because I will not hesitate."

"Holmes," said Yuujin, desperately elbowing Holmes's side. "Any time you wish to start making a deduction before a small riot breaks out, now would be the time..."

"Wibble..." said Holmes, mouth dropping open again.

"Holmes!" Yuujin stood on his foot.

"Ow! Mikotoba...!"

"Holmes, please intervene before this turns into an international incident."

"Oh, right. Do excuse me, Mikotoba."

With a snap of his fingers and a twirl, Holmes spun into the middle of the soon-to-be well decorated battlefield. "Come now, Your Majesty, and the beautiful Miss Adler who can point that umbrella at me any time she likes..." (Yuujin swore he saw Adler move to impale Holmes on the spot, but changed her mind almost instantly.) "There's no need to fight. After all, it's clear exactly where the photograph is kept. And the photograph's true contents!"

"Eh?!" exclaimed the king. "Are you sure zat you can do zat, Herr Holmes?"

" _Ja_ indeed, your majesty."

"This is simply outrageous," said Adler, impaling the umbrella through the carpet and into the floor. "I would kindly ask that you stop all this nonsense at once before I ask Tabitha to send for a constable."

"There's no need, Miss Adler. We can resolve this problem at once. As we go once again into the world-famous, legendary... **SHERLOCK HOLMES'S THEATRE OF LOGIC AND DEDUCTIONS!** "

* * *

Holmes snapped his fingers and all the attention of the room moved to Irene Adler. "Miss Adler," said Holmes. "Are you by yourself at this moment in time?"

"Unfortunately so," said Adler. "My husband, who could beat you to a pulp in a second, your majesty, had to attend one of his clients very early this morning. So it's only myself and Tabitha, my personal maid, at this time."

"That's not right, Miss Adler. After all, the one you love is in this very room at this moment in time!" said Holmes, leading to Adler covering her hand with her mouth. "I believe that's obvious by the maid, who is at this very moment in time holding a plate of buttered toast with a bite taken out of it. A bite taken by Mr. Godfrey Norton himself, who is upstairs and hiding in the wardrobe!"

"Why on earth would my husband be hiding in the closet?" asked Adler. "And what's that got to do with anything?"

The pieces started to come together in Yuujin's mind.

**TAPPIDY-TAPPIDY-TAPPIDY-TAP.**

Yuujin snapped his fingers and pointed at the maid. "Miss Tabitha, isn't it?" he said. "I believe you're the one who knows what the problem is in this case. Is that not toast crumbs on your apron?"

"Oh!" exclaimed the maid. "W-Why yes, I haven't had the time to have breakfast yet, and I was just so hungry, I—"

"No, you were going to eat it  _with_ Miss Adler. There are two cups of coffee on that table, not just the one."

"So I actually care about the health and well-being of my servants! So h-what?"

"But there is a servant's door there!" said Holmes, jumping onto the back of his deduction. "So why is the carpet in-front of it not worn? If it were frequently used, the carpet would have been worn away by the door scraping away at the top of the carpet. Unless you're hiding a suspicious Russian woman in there!"

"Now why exactly would I be doin' that?" protested Adler.

"There's no suspicious Russian woman, Holmes," said Yuujin, chiming in. "There is, however, a wedding band similar to that of Miss Adler's on Tabitha's finger. Which suggests, to me, that the two women...are lovers!"

"I...what?!" exclaimed Holmes.

"Vhat indeed!" the King of Bohemia exclaimed.

"The two women, madly in love with each-other, wanted to get married."

"However," said Holmes, "because of the way British law stands at the moment, they cannot. Because the law defines marriage as being between a bride and a groom. Not a bride and a bride or a groom and a groom. But there is a way around it, through secret, illegal marriages and the two exercising relationships such as the one we're currently seeing. Two very good friends living together. Or a lady and her maid.

"And so Miss Adler dressed in her bridal veil, but Miss Tabitha needed something that would convince the priest that the marriage would be a legal once. And so she dressed as a man. In this case, Mr. Godfrey Norton proved to be really Miss Tabitha's alias under a clever disguise that couldn't be beaten by a great detective!"

"But you didn't see through it until now, Holmes..." sighed Yuujin, shaking his head.

"Please. Dr. Mikotoba. Mr. Holmes. You mustn't tell anyone," said Tabitha. "If anybody were to ever find out—"

"Don't worry, Mrs...Adler, I'm going to assume?" said Holmes. "We're not the police, and we have no intention of telling them."

"Now then, onto the photograph. I believe you know exactly where it is!" exclaimed Holmes as Tabitha turned her head towards Irene Adler, who had sat back down at the table. "Yes, you hid it in the once place that you knew the king wouldn't look for it! You hid it in the coffee pot on your table there!"

"Zat is ridikulous!" exclaimed the king.

"Indeed it is, your majesty. Though I believe the answer may be more straightforward. Miss Adler hid the photograph you wish to find so much..."

**TAPPIDY-TAPPIDY-TAPPIDY-TAP.**

He snapped his fingers and pointed. "Above the fireplace, the very one you're sitting in-front of. Most likely behind that painting hanging above it. In that case, we'll probably find it right behind there."

"Yes!" exclaimed the king. "Remove the painting at once and give it straight to me, and we can end this entire disgusting, unwholesome affair for good."

"You know, your majesty, I charge a ten pound fee for removing paintings..." said Holmes, rubbing his hands together.

"Just do it, Herr Holmes," said the king, handing Holmes a bank note.

"At once, sir!" said Holmes with a salute. With a quick spin across the rug and past Miss Adler, he raised his hands to remove the painting (a rather nice looking landscape, Yuujin thought). Before he could though, there came a loud cry of:

 ****" **HANG ON, HOLMES** **!** "


	7. Royally Flushed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reason why the King of Bohemia wants the photographs back is finally revealed in one final deduction. Who's really the bad guy here?

Sherlock Holmes looked over his shoulder, expecting the usual. Yuujin with his hat tipped slightly, ready to jump in on his deduction again to correct what was wrong this time. Except this time.

"I said: Hang on, Holmes."

"Miss Adler? Or whatever title you prefer to use? 'My darling love' also works..."

"Oh do get over yourself, Holmes," said Adler, standing up from her seat again. She swiftly removed the wine-coloured gloves from her hands and every eye in the room seemed to move to where she pointed, leaving the King of Bohemia looking rather bewildered.

"Vhat?! Vhat is this!"

"Vhat—I mean—what indeed!" exclaimed Yuujin. While it was good that he was getting in some practice on the 'V' sound, it wasn't appropriate at this moment.

"Mr. Holmes, Dr. Mikotoba," said Adler. "Did you ever find out why exactly His Royal Lowness wants his photograph back? Or more importantly, what was in the photograph in the first place?"

"Well I believe that's simple. It was a photograph of a snake poking out of a Scottish loch!" exclaimed Holmes. "A monster from the depths!"

"I believe," said Yuujin, "that it was a photograph of...a particular bit of His Majesty's anatomy."

"A photograph that I regret sending, but is now being used against me,  _ja_ ," added the king. "And now Irene Adler is using it as a means of attempting to ruin my future marriage."

"Yes," said Irene Adler. "That's what you say. But there is a difference between what you  _say_ is true, and what is  _actually_ true."

"You mean to say, Adler-san, that the king is lying to us?" said Yuujin.

"Precisely. Think about it for moment, Holmes, if it's not too difficult for you. All you've heard about is how it's a picture of the Little John of Robin Hood over there, but you've never laid eyes on this photograph, have you? Hm? Or had any proof of what's in it other than what he's told you. How do you know he isn't lying to you?"

"That's a good point, Holmes," said Yuujin. "We haven't ever laid eyes on this photograph for ourselves, have we?"

" _Das ist lächerlich!_ " exclaimed the king. "You would take the word of a woman—a  _lesbisch_ —over that of a king! How very dare you! I will be in immediate contact with the Japanese and British Empires' governments to declare war immediately!"

Holmes added: "Your Majesty, declaring war isn't going to do anyone any good! It'll certainly slow up the traffic on the way back to Baker Street, anyway."

"Holmes!"

"Regardless, I believe it's time we make one final deduction, my love—"

Irene Adler reached for her parasol again.

"—I mean, Miss Adler. In one final round of—"

" **Irene Adler's Theatre of Logic and Deductions!** " proclaimed Adler, spinning into the centre of the room and deliberately pushing Holmes out of the way.

She snapped her finger and pointed toward the king, leading all attention to focus on him. "Wilhem Gottsreich-whatever-whatever-nobody-gives-a-hoot," she began. "You've most likely been harping onto Dr. Mikotoba and Blondie Nobrains-McGee over there about the contents of the photograph. And I'm sure you know exactly how you described it to them. Dr. Mikotoba's hand just gave it away!"

"Eh?" asked Yuujin.

"You instinctively put your hand towards your pocket, which contains your pocketbook. You write down all the facts of the case because Stupid McGee over there keeps forgetting everything."

"Forgetting what?" asked Holmes with a shrug, trying to jump into the centre of the room again.

"Exactly," said Adler, pushing him straight out again. "Dr. Mikotoba, would you mind reading your notes for the benefit of all here present at this time?"

"Certainly." He patted his pockets before removing the book from his jacket and flicking to the correct page.  _(Thank you for teaching me how to do that, Inspector Bradstreet!)_. "Here we go: 'The photograph had both of us in it. We were both naked in the photograph. Letters were also sent. Holmes knows how to forge documents...'" Yuujin read.

"Precisely. It doesn't specify the contents of the photograph or the contents of the letters. Or... _who_ sent the letters to  _who_."

The king began to visibly sweat. Perhaps some of it were nerves, perhaps some if it was caused by the massive furs wrapped around him.

"Ah," said Yuujin. "So there's nothing to say whether  _he_ sent the letters to  _you_ , or if  _you_ sent the letters to  _him_."

"Or: The letters were sent to somebody else," Adler added in. "In that case, why would the king want them? Or who do you think they came from?"

Yuujin knew at that moment precisely what Adler was hinting towards. "Holmes often tells me," he said. "That in most of his observations, it's a matter of following the eyes of the one in focus. However, we need to think about who  _isn't_ in focus. Naturally, our eyes are all fixated on that of Dick—"

"Excuse me?!"

"—Or whatever your name is."  _(That's Japan and Bohemia at war now then. Good job, Yuujin. Good job.)_ "But we didn't think to focus on the one who, for the last few minutes, has been leading our thoughts. It's said in crisis, that somebody will always first look to their priority. A rich man to his secret stash of gold. A parent to their child. Or a person to their love. Isn't that right, Miss Adler? Your eyes are, at this moment, looking to your right. And the two people standing to your right are Sherlock Holmes and Tabitha. As your feelings and inclination are clear, you're looking toward your maid and your love. Tabitha.

"Ergo, the letters were not between The King and Irene Adler. But Tabitha and Irene Adler," said Yuujin with a tap of his shoes on the floor.

"So in other words, the blackmailer in this case wasn't Irene Adler, but rather the King of Bohemia!" said Holmes with a flick of his hat.

"Zat is a lie! A lie, I say! A lie! A lie!" cried the king, hitting his fist off of the front of an armchair, causing the floor underneath to rattle slightly. "How dare you accuse me, of all people, of such things, you disgusting—"

"Well it's an easy enough case to prove," said Holmes. "If you want to disprove yourself as being a blackmailer of a lesbian couple, all you'll have to do is let us see the photographs and letters before we hand them over to you."

"They're private correspondence!" exclaimed the king. "You absolutely may not!"

"But!" exclaimed Yuujin. "If you don't let us look at the letters and photographs, if any at all, it only makes you look more suspicious. And then we might have to get the Foreign Office and the police involved, so the matter goes beyond discretion. And I know a fellow who works as a reporter too, and I'm sure he'd love to know exactly where you are staying. And if it reached the London papers, it wouldn't be long before it reached mainland Europe..."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Watch me. We'll shout it from the window if we must. Miss Adler, may I?"

"Be my guest, Mr. Holmes, Doctor."

Holmes approached the window and undid the latch, lifting the window until it was fully open.

"Nein! Nein!" cried the king.

Holmes and Yuujin slowly inhaled together.

"Nein!" he cried again, frantically searching for his pockets.

They moved to shout together, when:

" **NEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNN!** "

The king screamed before falling backwards on Irene Adler's coffee table, breaking it clean in two. Bank notes spread in a flurry across the room, before promptly wafting out of the window and out onto the breeze outside, carrying it along the street and beyond, until it was long out of sight.


	8. A Confession from the King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The King of Bohemia finally pays his dues...

That moment's silence felt like an eternity, before the King of Bohemia rose up from the wreckage of the coffee table like a giant rising from its slumber.

Granted, he had a little more prompting to get up than a slumbering giant would have.

"Up. Up. Up. Up," said Irene Adler, repeatedly kicking the King on the shoulder.

"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow," he replied as he slowly stood up. The furs he had been wearing had fallen lopsided and become stained with both splinters and sawdust.

"Ja. It is true..." he sighed. "I blackmailed Ms. Adler...

"In my younger years, I was what you English might call ze playboy. Ze handsome prince surrounded by all ze women, invited to all of ze parties. It all reached to my head which ballooned in size.

"I zen got into ze gambling.  _Und_ vunce I started...I simply couldn't stop. My debts began to grow worse and worser, to the point where my own papa, the king, threatened to completely and utterly disinherit me in-favour of my third cousin twice removed."

"Oh my heart simply bleeds..." said Adler, daubing a handkerchief at the sides of her eyes mockingly.

Yuujin quickly hushed her.

"My debts began to spiral out of control. _Alles war nicht gut_ , you understand? That was when the opportunity presented itself, a night at the opera. Frauline Adler was performing in the Imperial Opera in Warsaw whilst I was on a diplomatic mission on behalf of my kingdom.

"I stood outside of Miss Adler's dressing room after her performance, naturally, expecting a 'rendezvous'."

"Eh?" asked Holmes with a shrug. "Er, No hablo français."

"Fornication, sir," said the maid flatly.

"Oh. Right."

"As I waited on Miss Adler to appear from her dressing room, I could hear talking inside her dressing room. She was speaking with another person. I could hear laughter. She was talking with...another woman."

"I'm not entirely sure what possessed me. Perhaps it was malice, or perhaps it was just sheer curiosity. But the next thing I knew, I was putting my hand to the handle of the door, slowly turning it and opening it to enter the room, unseen.

"That was then I saw it. Miss Adler and her maid, whom I had always seen in close attendance to her. Their hands were all over each-other, and their lips were together in a tight kiss. Next, I found my hand reaching for the portable camera in my pocket, whereupon I took a photograph of her and her maid..."

* * *

"What the...?" said Irene Adler, breaking the kiss with her love. "I say, who are you? Why do you have that camera in your hand? I demand an answer!"

"Miss Adler," he said, "My name is Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismund von Ormstein, Duke of Castle Ormstein and heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Bohemia. Now you will listen to me, very very carefully." 

* * *

"Wilhelm asked for money in-order to buy his silence. If the photographs were ever made public, my career would simply be ruined. Tabitha or I could end up being lynched, not like that's never happened before to people like us. So, regrettably, Mr. Holmes, Dr. Miktoba, I was forced to comply. Again and again and again. In my industry, any sort of scandal can prove to be fatal."

"It is true. Again and again, I asked her for money and threatened her with ruin and scandal from Bohemia and across to the ends of the Earth—even after I had paid every single one of my debts. Then my father died and I was made king. I could do what I want, including marrying to bring together trade between Scandinavia and Bohemia. But it was in the middle of all this chaos that Miss Adler sought her revenge."

"It was simple, really," said Adler. "After all, Wilhelm was always big in muscles but quite small in everything else, including his brains. As part of his coronation and to hand over his blackmail money, he arranged that I would perform one night in Prague Castle as part of a celebration. Whilst I was doing exactly what I do best, Tabitha searched the king's chambers for the photograph, though she only had time to incinerate the film.

"It was then that we could give the king a taste of his own medicine. We threatened to reveal what he was doing to the world, as well as the photograph that he had left me on one occasion. We figured we could get revenge by causing quite the scandal in Bohemia."

"So that was why the king was so desperate to get the photograph back," said Yuujin. "He had lost what was essential to blackmail you, and because you were now able to blackmail him...it's like that saying...what's it in English again...?"

"'The shoe is on the other foot now'," said Sherlock Holmes.

"Yes. That's the one. Now then, Your Majesty. I think Miss Adler would appreciate her money being refunded as soon as possible, and His Majesty would appreciate his photo ending up in the fireplace. Also, I believe you owe both Mr. Holmes and I an apology and a cheque. You can make it payable to 'Mr. Sherlock Holmes'."

"No, no," interrupted Holmes. "I have a special account to deposit it into—I opened it first thing this morning, Mikotoba, I convinced a short-sighted banker that it was 9 o'clock, not three in the morning—and you can make it payable to  **Miss S. Mikotoba** 's account at Abbey National Bank."

"Why Holmes, I—I—I don't know what to say..."

"Think nothing of it, Mikotoba! I figured dear young Tomato could do with a few extra pounds in her new savings account."

" _Susato_ ," Yuujin corrected. "If you spell 'Tomato' with an 'S' then I think I should buy you a dictionary for Christmas..."

* * *

 

The young lady approached the counter of the bank, the teller's face almost completely obscured by the iron bars. These, she had read, were there to try and stop any armed robbery or any case of someone trying to grab money that didn't belong to them.

"So this is...a 'bank'," said the young man accompanying her, his black spikey hair and sword around his belt making him stand out amongst the crowd.

"Yes. It's been arranged that our student fees are being paid into a savings account my father opened for me during his time here," she said. "He always said the money came from an old friend of his. I wonder who that could be?"

"Couldn't be anyone stranger than Holmes-san," said the man.

"Who knows? It looks like it's our turn, Naruhodou-sama!"

"Hello there," said the faceless clerk. "How can I help you?"

"My name is Susato Mikotoba," said the young lady. "And I'd like to withdraw some money from my account, please."

  **THE END**


End file.
